The invention relates to an anti-skid device for vehicle wheels having chain strand sections arranged juxtaposed in pairs and at a mutual interval considered in the direction of the wheel circumference and components connected to the sections and distributed around the wheel circumference, each of which exhibits a plurality of projections forming anti-skid elements.
In an anti-skid device of the above-mentioned type known from DE-OS No. 3,239,099 the components provided with anti-skid elements consist of forged oval steel rings having transverse bars and longitudinal bars arranged at right angles to the plane of the ring. Both the transverse bars and also the longitudinal bars have a wedge-shaped self-sharpening cross-section, and two parallel transverse bars and two parallel longitudinal bars are associated with each steel ring. In this construction the parallel transverse bars are located in the region of the tread of the vehicle wheel, whereas the parallel longitudinal bars are arranged outside the tread region and serve to enlarge the standing surface of the vehicle wheel. The known construction cannot give complete satisfaction inasmuch as the material constitution and the shape of its components provided with anti-skid elements make quiet running of the vehicle wheel equipped with it impossible. A similar comment applies to an anti-skid device of similar construction known from FR-PS No. 854,645, of which the components provided with projections forming anti-skid elements consist of plates having transverse bars and longitudinal bars arranged at right angles to the plane of the plate.
Quieter running is made possible by an anti-skid device made of rubber or plastic, likewise known and disclosed in DE-OS No. 2,910,084, in which chain strand sections in the region of the tread of the vehicle wheel are omitted. The omission of chain strand sections in the tread network impairs the lateral guidance properties and the articulation of the known anti-skid device. The anti-skid elements of this anti-skid device, which are equipped with spikes in order to increase their grip, are arranged asymmetrically, and this arrangement has an unfavourable influence upon the steering behaviour of the vehicle during sharp braking.
AT-PS No. 348,885 discloses a more favourable anti-skid device having a substantially symmetrical distribution of anti-skid elements and spikes. This anti-skid device consists of components engaging stirrup-fashion around a vehicle tyre, which are retained by side chains or similar support means like the transverse chain strands of a ladder chain. However, the arrangement of the components of this anti-skid device like ladder rungs likewise leaves something to be desired as regards both lateral guidance and travelling comfort.
Lastly, a tire chain in which support elements consisting of rubber or plastic are retained by a self-contained chain network is known from DE-OS No. 2,846,909. In this case the support elements do not perform an anti-skid function, but merely serve to enlarge the standing surface of a vehicle wheel.